1. Field of the Invention
The disclosure relates to display devices, and more particularly, to a method of fabricating a flexible display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Display devices have recently included flat panel display devices capable of achieving a large display area, lightness and slimness. Flat panel display devices include liquid crystal displays (“LCDs”), plasma display panels (“PDPs”), organic light emitting displays (“OLEDs”), and the like. Conventional LCDs, PDPs, and OLEDs use a glass substrate that can be overly brittle and prone to cracking.
Recently, flexible display devices using a flexible substrate such as plastic or foil instead of a glass substrate have actively been developed as future display devices. The process of fabricating a display panel with these flexible substrates typically involves fabricating a thin film transistor (“TFT”) layer on a plastic substrate (“TOP”). However, fabricating a display panel by directly forming a TFT on the plastic substrate instead of the glass substrate in an existing panel fabrication process still has difficulties in terms of processing due to the flexibility of the plastic substrate.
Accordingly, an approach for using the existing panel fabrication process with existing equipment includes applying a plastic substrate on a carrier substrate such as a glass substrate by using an adhesive layer and a separation layer, directly fabricating a TFT array on the plastic substrate, and detaching the carrier substrate from the plastic substrate.
However, an additional process is needed for forming the separation layer on the carrier substrate, thereby adding process time and expense.